The Assistant
by liioncub
Summary: Bella Swan has taken a job as an assistant to the wealthy CEO, Edward Cullen. Except, she is not being paid to assist him in the office. AU AH; Lemons
1. Chapter 1

All recognizable characters and likenesses belong to Stephenie Meyer

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A huge thank you to Kelly, **vanilladoubleshot**, for betaing this for me and listening to me blabber on about everything and nothing. Thank you for telling me this story was a good idea :) Also, hello to everyone who already alerted me from my preview on **lion_lamb**. *waves* hello!

This story is going to be M. The rating says so, but just a fair warning, it will earn it's rating; this is not a story for minors or anything like that.

Enough of me, enjoy! :)

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A slight brunette slipped quietly from her apartment, careful not to wake her roommate. It was very late, or very early depending on whether you were starting your day or ending it. The sky was still dark and slightly murky in the predawn, a faint band of light visible on the horizon of the sleeping city.

She made her way down the front stairs, mentally checking that she had everything she needed. She paused on the sidewalk and glanced back at the apartment door, trying to remember where she had left her note for Rosalie. The note stated that the brunette would be gone for the next week with her new boss, and she would return on Sunday evening. It wasn't technically a lie; more of a lie of omission, a half truth.

She started up the sidewalk once more, adjusting the heavy bag on her shoulder and glancing at her watch; she was desperately hoping she would make it to the Pearl District by 4:30. There was supposed to be a car waiting for her on the next street over that would take her to the Benson Hotel. She had taken a little too long this morning to get ready and was now pressing herself for time. But, she wanted to look good for her new boss. She wanted -- no, needed -- this to work; she was taking the biggest chance of her life.

The brunette rounded the corner and saw a dark car idling with its lights on. She prayed silently that this was her transport to the Benson, and wouldn't instead be taking her to a dark road near the river. But, she knew God would not hear her, not with the dark path she was about to follow.

The air was crisp and she could see her breath as she pulled her coat tighter around herself. She approached the car warily, the urge to flee coursing through her.

A car door opened and an older gentleman emerged from the driver's seat.

"Miss Swan?"

She breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that voice.

"Alistair, good morning."

The older man, Alistair, smiled at her and rounded the front of the dark town car, reaching for her heavy bag.

"You are very nearly late, my dear," and he winked and smiled as he shouldered the bag and walked to the back door, opening it for her.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I was a little behind this morning, will we be late to the Benson?" She was nervous now. She didn't want to leave her new boss waiting. What kind of impression would she make then? Arriving late to their first encounter, what would he think of her?

"You happen to be in luck, little one, Mr. Cullen's red eye flight was delayed slightly departing Chicago, and you will be arriving before he does at the Benson. Luck seems to be on your side."

He smiled kindly, fatherly and her and she lowered herself into the car. It was warm inside and she snuggled herself deep into her coat to warm her bones. She heard the trunk slam and saw Alistair coming to take the driver's seat once again.

"Are you nervous?" He asked as he fastened his seatbelt and turned the heat a little higher.

"Yes, quite a lot actually." She wasn't going to sugar coat it.

"Don't be. It will be fine."

She didn't feel comforted though. She knew Alistair was speaking from experience, speaking of the ones who came before her. They surely had been nervous too, inexperienced in this sort of arrangement, and Alistair had told them in his kind voice that it, this impending endeavor, would be fine.

She sighed as he pulled out into the street and headed towards the Benson. She rested her head against the window and watched Portland slip by in the early morning.

***

When the elevator doors opened to the Grand suite, Bella's mouth dropped open in shock. She knew that Mr. Edward Cullen was a very wealthy man, but she had no idea what that sort of wealth meant. The room was vast and everything seemed to glisten. It was spotless and pristine, there were even vacuum lines visible in the carpet. The suite was warm and welcoming, full of warm browns and soothing taupes that were enhanced by a small gas fireplace burning in the corner. There was a handsome Baby Grand that monopolized much of the den area, and Bella smiled realizing the reason for the name of the suite. The lid was down on the piano and a small vase of orchids sat on top.

"Isabella," called Alistair, snapping Bella out of her wonder. She must have been staring for quiet some time. She glanced to her right and found Alistair waiting patiently for her by a closed door. He beckoned with his hand and she turned and started toward him.

She unbuttoned her heavy coat and went to place it over the back of one of the sitting chairs near the door before Alistair stopped her.

"Mr. Cullen is very particular about how his house is kept. He likes things very neat and tidy. A rogue winter coat might set him into a tailspin." He winked and smiled before folding her coat over her arm. "Now, come. I want to show you the bedroom."

He pushed the door open to reveal a large bedroom with an equally large bed. The warm color scheme had continued, with a dark bed frame with a large headboard, topped with a warm coffee bed spread. There was a large sliding glass door with the curtains drawn, revealing a balcony with a gorgeous view of the still sleeping city. There was a dainty desk next to the armoire, with an expensive looking computer sitting on top of it. There was also another, smaller vase of orchids. Bella wondered if they held any significance.

"The bath is through the far door, if you'd like to go inspect it. I wouldn't get too attached to that bathtub however; you aren't staying here long."

Bella turned. "Does Mr. Cullen have another business trip so soon?"

"No, but we are moving to the Benson Tower on Thursday, it's just a few blocks from here. We are one of the first to be moving in."

"Oh," Bella replied dumbly. She didn't know what else to say. She wondered how long it would take to get accustomed to this lifestyle of moving from expensive penthouses to even more expensive apartments like it was nothing.

"I'll go hang your coat. Mr. Cullen will be home shortly, so I'm going to order breakfast; what would you like?"

"Eggs, over medium with sourdough toast."

Alistair nodded. "Don't be too long, there are some things that I need to discuss with you before Mr. Cullen arrives home." And with that, he pulled the door closed behind him quietly.

Sighing, Bella stepped more fully into the bedroom. She trailed her fingers along the edge of the bed, feeling the soft duvet against her fingertips. She tried not to let her mind wander to what might happen in this bed tonight, not wanting to be flushed when she went back out to speak with Alistair. This was going to take some getting used to, but she was determined to do everything she was supposed to. She needed him to like her enough to keep her around for a while. She needed the money desperately to pay off her college loans, and this had sort of fallen into her lap.

Sighing again, Bella peeked into the bathroom and wanted to moan at the sight of the bathtub. It was large enough for probably three people and had jets lining the sides. She hoped the one at the new apartment would be as nice.

She made her way back out to the living area to see Alistair waiting for her at the dining table, a cup of tea in front of him.

"Sit," he invited, pushing the cup of tea toward her.

She walked around the table and sat down across from him, accepting the cup. She slid her hands around the mug to warm her fingers up.

"I know you have been briefed on the majority of your duties and expectations, so there are just a few things that I need to go over with you. Mr. Cullen would normally be the one to do this, but as he is running behind schedule, it would be best if I get it out of the way."

Bella nodded and took a sip of her tea.

"As you are aware, in corporate situations, you are posing as Mr. Cullen's assistant. Aside from the information you are given, you are not to ask him about his job. You will be given all the information that you need prior to any meetings or social events, and you will need familiarize yourself with the information incase you are questioned. Mr. Cullen is very private, and any information he chooses to share with you is the only information he will share with you. In social situations, you are Mr. Cullen's date, nothing more nothing less. You are also aware that you are given an allowance?"

Bella's head was kind of reeling but she nodded, encouraging Alistair to continue.

"You are to accept the allowance with no questions. A few in the past have complained it was too much or too little, and they have not been here to spend it. The allowance is currently set at five thousand per week, and you are to spend it however you like. Mr. Cullen will pay for any additional clothing, etcetera that you might need for social events or trips. He may make a decision to increase your allowance, should he choose, but he will never lower it below the five thousand. Are you with me so far, my dear?"

Bella nodded once more and raised a shaky hand to sip her tea. Five thousand per week? She had no concept of that amount of money.

"Good. You have followed your pre-rendezvous instructions, I assume, and you are currently on birth control?"

Bella bit her lip to hide her embarrassment. "Yes, the brand that Mr. Cullen requested."

"Excellent. I doubt I need to elaborate much on this portion of the agreement, but you must be prepared to have sex with Mr. Cullen at anytime, unless you have your period or you have taken ill. And you are to share his bed every night that you are with him. He will have further instructions for you that I am not privy to."

Bella too a deep breath and closed her eyes, nodding. This was the part that she would have to get used to the most. She could do it, it was just part of her life now.

Alistair patted her hand and she opened her eyes. "It will be fine," he repeated before continuing.

"There will be trips where Mr. Cullen does not require you accompaniment. You are free to stay here, or rather at the Benson Tower, when he is not home, or you may return to your own home for the duration of his absence. As long as you return before he does, there is no issue. Are there any other questions?"

"No, I think you've covered everything."

He smiled. "If there is anything you think of, please don't hesitate to ask. Any more intimate details can be addressed to Mr. Cullen."

"Oh, I do have one question."

"Yes, Isabella."

She smiled a bit sheepishly at him.

"Where do you stay?"

He laughed warmly. "I have a room on the floor below this one. There is a phone in the bedroom that is linked to one in mine should he need me at any time. That's usually the case wherever we go."

"You didn't accompany him on this trip, though. Do you usually go everywhere with him?"

"Yes, usually. But I had to stay and collect you this time."

Bella smiled and ducked her head before finishing her tea. She was a bit relieved that Alistair didn't stay on the same floor with them. She didn't think she could bear it to see him in the mornings knowing he had heard them the night before. She heard a ding from the elevator, pulling her from her musings and she hoped it was the room service because she was starving.

Alistair stood and walked toward the door as it opened. It was not room service.

Edward Cullen stepped off the elevator wearing a crisp black suit that looked a bit ruffled from traveling. His hair looked to be in the same state. His eyes looked tired, but he smiled at Alistair as he walked past him, patting him gently on the shoulder before he entered the dining room.

Bella sat frozen as his eyes fell on her. How should she greet him? How should she address him? She should have asked more questions.

He narrowed his eyes a fraction before he opened his mouth.

"Isabella?" He asked softly, raising an eyebrow. She nodded and he bit his lip before nodding his head in return. He removed his laptop bag from his shoulder and set it on the table, his eyes lingering on her for a moment longer before he turned and headed back toward the elevator, his hand going into his pocket. She saw a third man standing by the door, the bellhop, who was unloading several pieces of luggage from the elevator. Mr. Cullen shook the man's hand and she heard him thank the bellhop before he turned to enter the elevator to retrieve one last bag.

She took a deep breath and tried calm herself. She was a bit taken aback by his presence. He had been handsome in his pictures, but she wasn't sure they had done him any justice. That, coupled with that fact that he really did exist threw her for a loop. There was a difference between seeing someone in pictures and finally seeing him, fully realized in front of you.

She heard the elevator chime once more, and she glanced up to see Alistair and Mr. Cullen walking back toward her. She took another deep breath, hoping to come across a little more coherent in this second meeting. She stood and smoothed her blouse.

Alistair smiled at her when he saw her standing. "Little one, you don't have to act like he's the king, standing before he enters a room," he chuckled.

Bella's eyebrows knitted; now she just felt stupid. This was starting well.

But Mr. Cullen saved her from embarrassment, stepping forward and offering his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Isabella."

She stared for a moment before she put her hand in his.

"Thank you, Mr. Cullen, but please call me Bella. Only my mother calls me Isabella, and that's usually when she's angry with me."

He looked at her, and smiled softly. "Bella. Well, if you insist I call you Bella, I must also insist that you call me Edward. Mr. Cullen get tiring after a while."

Bella smiled in return and dropped her hand.

"Alistair, will breakfast arrive soon? I would like to get a bit of rest before it gets too late and the day is shot."

"Yes, it should be due at any moment. I ordered it not long after Miss Swan and I arrived."

"Good, I'll just get changed."

He turned and started toward the bedroom, closing the door swiftly behind him. Bella let out a breath.

"That wasn't so terrible, was it?" asked Alistair. "He's not a monster."

Bella nodded absently, her eyes still on the door to the bedroom.

She heard the elevator chime again, and was relieved that room service was finally here. She might be a little better with food in her stomach. She sat the dining room table once more.

A young boy, no more than seventeen wheeled the food cart into the dining room, with Alistair not far behind him, telling him where to part it. Bella smiled at him and he flushed before retreating back to the elevator without a word.

"He's a bit shy," Edward's voice startled her as he came to sit where Alistair had been seated during their discussion. He was dressed in a Dartmouth t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. It was a drastic change from the business suit.

"Oh, I didn't mean to startle him."

Edward shook his head as Alistair handed him a cup of coffee. "He only works on the weekends and I'm fairly certain he doesn't like to come up this high in the hotel. I've only gotten him to speak to me a few times and I'm sure a beautiful woman smiling at him was a bit more than he could handle." He took a sip of his coffee and reached for the newspaper Alistair had lay next to him.

Bella bit her lip. He thought she was beautiful.

"Has all of the furniture been delivered to the townhouse, Alistair? Have you heard?"

Alistair came around Bella and placed her breakfast in front of her. She had never been so happy to see food and began to eat.

"Yes, I received word just last night that the last of it had been delivered and installed. It will be ready on schedule for you and Ms. Swan to move in on Thursday."

Edward lowered the paper and glanced at him. "Is it ready today? Would we be able to go over and take a look at it?"

"I don't see why not. I can make a few phone calls to check, however."

"Please. I'd like to take Bella over for a tour after I've laid down for a few hours. Jet lag is obnoxious. Would you be interested, Bella?" He spoke to her directly, his green eyes gazing at her face.

Bella had not been expecting to be addressed and she had a mouth full of egg and toast. She swallowed hugely before nodding. "I would love to," she choked and panted a bit as the food did not slide down smoothly. Edward grinned.

"Alistair, I think Bella might need something to drink. Smaller bites next time, hmm?"

She nodded as Alistair brought her a glass of of orange juice and she drank gratefully.

The rest of breakfast was quiet. Edward finished his eggs benedict and toast before he stood and stretched.

"Bella, I have something for you, if you will come with me."

She stood and followed him to the bedroom. He walked to the bedside table closest to the door and opened the top drawer. He pulled out a long white envelope and handed it to her.

"Here is your allowance for this week. Inside this envelope is a debit card, attached to an account containing four thousand dollars. The remaining thousand is in cash inside as well. While I lay down, you are free to go shopping to pick up any clothes you think that you might need, as well as anything else you desire. There is a place directly across the street where I have an account with a personal shopper named Alice Whitlock. She will be happy to help you should you require it. I also have a separate unlimited account at La Perla, which you are free to use, aside from your allowance. Alice would be more than happy to help you there as well. Do you have any questions?"

Bella turned the envelope over in her hands before shaking her head.

"No, thank you." She glanced up and him and he was smiling at her.

"Thank _you_. I look forward to our time together." His thumb and forefinger gripped her chin and he placed a gentle kiss to her cheek, before he pressed another soft kiss to her mouth.

His lips were soft, and she was disarmed slightly by his kiss. She hadn't expected him to kiss her so soon. But, his lips was gentle and chaste against hers; a greeting of new friends.

"Please return by eleven. Alice will not be across the street until eight, so you are free to do what you please until that time. You may lay down with me if you choose. Hopefully by eleven, we will be able to head over the Benson Tower and look at the apartment. I think you will like it. The view is breathtaking."

Bella couldn't help but feel quite taken with Edward already. The way he spoke was so eloquent; his words made her feel warm. He was handsome and seemed kind and gentle. She wondered why a man like him needed an arrangement like this.

'"I'll lay with you for a little while." She wanted to lay in that vast bed with him and watch the sun rise while he slept next to her.

He smiled. "All we are going to do is sleep. I'm far too jet-lagged for anything else to happen at the moment. Would you like to change? I don't think those clothes will be very comfortable to sleep in. Or shop for that matter."

She nodded and moved away from him. She stopped short and glanced around the room.

"I don't know where my bag is," she realized aloud. She hadn't seen it since Alistair and her had entered the penthouse.

Edward walked out of the bedroom and she heard the men speaking from the dining room. He returned a few moments later, producing her large duffel.

"You may change in the bathroom if you feel more comfortable there."

Bella smiled and was glad he wasn't rushing her. He had known from her application that this was her first arrangement of this kind, and she was grateful he wasn't pressuring her despite that.

She bent over and pulled a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt from the bag before going to the en suite. She changed quickly and glanced at herself in the mirror. She frowned; she definitely planned to utilize the La Perla account. There was no way she would go to bed like this at night.

Entering the bedroom, she found him laying near the middle of the bed, on the side closest to the door. She walked to the bed and slipped under the covers, scooting toward him as graceful and lady-like as she could manage. His hand found her hip under the sheet as she moved and he pulled her toward him gently, her back against his chest. She wondered fleetingly how she could feel so comfortable with a man she had only met 45 minutes ago, but she just assured herself that she was doing what she was supposed to; she was being what he wanted her to be, what he was paying her to be.

"I set you an alarm for eight, if you fall asleep," he murmured as she got comfortable.

She settled into the soft bed, resting her head against the down pillow. Edward settled in, too, tucking himself close to her, and draping an arm across her waist. She could feel his breath in her hair.

"You smell like wildflowers," he stated, his voice soft and sleepy. She smiled to herself and nuzzled the pillow as she glanced out the window. The sun was beginning to rise and she let herself drift off to sleep as the city below awoke.

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I'm about to go start writing chapter 2 right after I post this, so look for that soon. If you want to keep up with what I'm doing or when I'm posting ect, you can follow me on twitter **liioncub**. I look forward to seeing everyone over there!


	2. Chapter 2

All recognizable characters belong to Stephenie Meyer

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Hello, again! Welcome once more to the world of the Assistant. I want to again thank **vanilladoubleshot** for being my BETA and telling me this wasn't complete crap.

This chapter fought with me, and I didn't get everything in that I wanted, so next chapter will be better, lol. I hope you enjoy!

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Bella awoke some later to the sun shining meekly though the glass windows. She was warm and the bed was very comfortable. The room was quiet, only the soft sounds of Edward sleeping were audible.

She rolled onto her back to be able to see his sleeping form. He was on his stomach, his face nestled on his pillow as he faced her. His pink lips were parted and he sighed softly, shifting his body a little towards her. His leg shifted so it was pressed over hers softly, but didn't trap her.

He looked so peaceful and gentle in his sleep. He was a busy man with many responsibilities, and she wondered how often he really had a chance to sleep like this; uninterrupted. He inhaled a soft snore before turning his face away.

She took this as her cue to get out of bed. She glanced over at the clock on the side table and it read ten after eight. She had promised she would go see Alice, and she needed to get out of this warm bed to do so.

Shifting softly, as to not disturb Edward, she exited the bed in one smooth motion. As she turned, she noticed all of her clothes had been folded or hung and placed inside the large closet at the far end of the room. She wondered if she was truly that heavy a sleeper, or if Alistair was just that quiet.

She changed quickly into a pair of jeans and placed the sweatpants she had been wearing into a bin labeled "Dirty Clothing." Apparently someone in this suite was OCD.

She collected the envelope that contained her allowance and exited the room. She pulled the door closed quietly and turned finding Alistair sitting with his feet up, watching television and eating what appeared to be French Toast. She smiled.

"So this is what you do when he's working or asleep?" She asked softly as she came to stand beside him.

He started momentarily before he laughed. "What else am I to do, Miss Swan? The suite is clean, the clothes are pressed and hung. My day is shot until he wakes up. The day after travel is always a light one for me, he sleeps the whole day." He smiled conspiratorially at her. "Which usually gives me time to watch my Spanish soap operas."

Bella laughed but made a face. "Do you even speak spanish?"

He took a bite of his French toast. "No, but I'm learning. It's not hard to keep up anymore."

Bella shook her head. "Can you show me where my coat is? Edward gave me money and told me to go across the street to speak to...Alice, I think her name was?" She trailed off, hoping she had the woman's name right. Her brain was still a bit foggy from sleep.

"Alice," Alistair confirmed, before nodding. "I can escort you if you would like."

He stood, placing his breakfast on the table and walking toward the elevator. He opened a hidden door and pulled out her heavy winter coat.

"Maybe you can just show me where it is? I think I can handle it from there."

He smiled and nodded, pulling out his own coat as well and putting it on. He walked forward and pressed the button for the elevator.

"Did he give you a time to return?" Alistair inquired as they waited.

"Yes, eleven. Is this going to take that long?" Three hours of shopping seemed both unnecessary and daunting.

Alistair smiled a bit sadly at her, but amusement danced in his eyes. "Unfortunately, with Miss Alice, three hours of shopping is not enough time to buy everything one needs. I should say she will be most disappointed when you tell her you have to be back by eleven."

The elevator chimed and the doors slid open.

"Is there a bank nearby? I would like to put some of this money away." This was the reason she had taken this job in the first place, to save this money and not spend it on shoes and dresses. She hardly imagined spending five thousand dollars on clothing ever and she would be very upset with herself if she did it in one day.

"There is a bank a block from here, I can show you first if you would like." He was looking at her strangely, like he was meeting her for the first time.

"No, it's all right. I won't do it today. I'll go shopping with this Alice and then the money I have left over will get put away."

Alistair stared at her for another moment before he nodded and smiled. The door chimed again, and they were now at the lobby, in its golden sparkly wonder. Bella fastened her coat and pulled the collar up around her neck; she doubted it had gotten much warmer out, she just hoped it wouldn't rain today.

When they stepped onto the street, the wind blew swiftly across the sidewalk, whipping up Bella's hair and chilling her to the bone. But the sky was fortunately clear; no rain today.

"Come, little one. Let's cross before the light changes." He took her hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm before steering her across the street. They walked a little ways before coming to a stop in front of a building with dark glass windows, the word "Whitlock's" emblazoned on the front in pretty gold letters. The building looked to be sparsely furnished inside.

"This is it?" Bella asked. There didn't seem to be any clothes inside.

Alistair smiled. "Don't worry, it will make sense when you talk to Alic. Now, have fun. Miss Alice is one of a kind." He patted her arm before he ushered her inside, sensing her apprehension. "Eleven, Isabella."

Bella nodded and the door shut behind her, sealing off the noise of the busy street.

The room was large and empty. There was black stone floors and black tiling on the walls. A large staircase was directly ahead of her, and that too was black. Sitting in front of the staircase at a high desk was a pretty blonde who appeared to be filing her finger nails.

Taking a deep breath, Bella tucked her envelope inside her coat pocket and walked forward, stopping in front of the desk. She cleared her throat.

The blonde was filing her nails and either didn't hear or chose to ignore Bella's arrival.

"Excuse me." Bella said quietly. Bored Blonde finally glanced up at her.

"Can I help you?" Her tone was clipped, as if Bella was interrupting some very important activity.

"Yes, my name is Bella and I'm here to see Alice Whitlock?"

Bored Blonde rolled her eyes. "Do you have an appointment with Mrs. Whitlock?"

Oh. "Actually, I don't know. Um, my boss sent me over here..."

"Mrs. Whitlock doesn't see anyone of the street without an appointment." She barked, cutting Bella off. She seemed to take that as a dismissal, and went back to filing her nails.

Bella tried again. "I was sent here specifically to see Alice. My boss, Mr...."

"Listen, I don't give a crap who your boss is, but _Mrs. Whitlock_ doesn't see anyone who just walks in here. So, why don't you take your knock off Seven jeans and go back where you came from until you have a goddamned appointment."

Bella blinked. What on earth would necessitate this kind of rudeness? Would she have to go back to the hotel now? She wished she could call Edward and tell him to come over here.

No. She could do this on her own; he didn't have any obligation to come rescue her. And, besides, he was currently fast asleep.

Bella could have kicked herself for telling Alistair she would be fine. She should have insisted that he come in with her; that would have eliminated this whole debacle.

"Bella! Edward said you were coming!"

Bella pulled her glaring eyes away from the bimbo at the front desk and glanced back toward the stairs to see a pretty brunette descending them. Her hair was short and styled, her face was beautiful, her eyes were large and dark.

She walked around the desk and embraced Bella gently.

"I was wondering what was taking so long! Edward said you would be here after eight and I was beginning to worry."

When had Edward made those arrangements? He had probably planned this all before he even arrived home.

"Oh, I guess things just got a little mixed up here at the desk? I was told that didn't have an appointment. Edward never mentioned I needed one."

Bella wasn't above not so subtly hinting that this girl at the front desk had been extremely rude to her.

Alice narrowed her eyes and turned toward the blonde, whose eyes widened in alarm.

"How many times have I told you that if someone comes looking for me, and I am not already in a consult, that you are allowed to page me to confirm?"

"Mrs. Whitlock, I'm sorry! She just didn't seem like any of your regular clients, so I assumed she was lying."

Bella's stomach turned. She clearly did not belong here.

Alice's eyebrows shot to her hairline. "Really? Well, if you had bothered to check the schedule book, you would see that my entire morning is cleared for an Isabella Swan, and you would have seen that she was, in fact, not lying." Alice turned to Bella.

"Did she glance at the schedule book?" Bella could see now that she should have kept her mouth shut. She was getting the girl into trouble.

"Um, no?" Bella took a step away from the situation, feeling guiltier by the minute.

Alice turned back to the desk. "Well, Lauren. In that case, I suggest you stop filing your nails and start familiarizing yourself with the names in that book for the next two weeks. And then when you are done with that, you may call all of the numbers on the first page in that red notebook." She motioned toward the large red spiral bound book on the desk.

Without another glance at Lauren, Alice grabbed Bella's hand and tugged her toward the stairwell behind the desk. They turned right once we had reached the top, and walked to the end of the long hallway, where they stopped in front of a set of black double doors. Alice turned and winked before pushing the doors open.

"Welcome to the playpen."

***

The Playpen, it turned out, was an enormous windowless room lined from end to end with racks of clothing in every style, color, and brand imaginable. Racks of jeans and evening gowns flowed into sundresses and tank tops. There were racks of shoes that lined the walls and some boxes even covered the floor. Bella wondered how Alice kept this all in order.

Bella was now reclined on a pile of winter coats sipping a cup of hot chocolate. Her and Alice had been "shopping" for just over two hours now, and they decided to take a break. Bella had never tried on so many clothes in her life, and she surely wasn't used to changing in front of someone she had just met. But, Alice was sweet and sisterly, and Bella had gotten over her awkwardness quickly. There was a stack of clothes about 4 feet high of all the things she would be taking home with her today. She hoped she could afford it all.

"Oh, I'm sorry about Lauren before. I have no choice but to keep her."

Alice was sitting in a swivel chair to Bell's left holding a mug of tea in her hands.

"It's not really a big deal. I mean, what was she supposed to think?"

Alice stopped swiveling back and forth and stared.

"There is so many things wrong with that. First of all, Lauren in heinous. She is the daughter of my mother's best friend, so I have to keep her here until the summer. Second of all, because of that fact, she should work here professionally and treat everyone that walking here as such. Your boss is a very high end client of mine, as well as a close friend and the fact that she treated you the way she did would be grounds for termination if it had been anyone else."

Bella nodded and took a sip of her warm drink. It warmed her from her stomach from the inside out, making her feel cozy on the hard floor of The Playpen. She glanced at her watch; it was nearly ten-thirty. She would have to pack up and go home soon.

"I should get moving soon. I have to meet Mr. Cullen at eleven."

Alice nodded. "Bella, I want to be very clear about something. I don't want to be blunt or rude, but I'm just going to say it."

Bella was nervous; what on earth was she going to say to her?

"I know the nature of your _employment _for Edward. I don't want to embarrass you or make you feel cheap, I just want you to know you don't have to pretend when you are here."

Bella felt the color drain from her face. Despite Alice's soothing words, Bella felt suddenly ashamed and foolish.

She looked down and twirled the mug in her hands. She heard Alice move off of the chair and come to kneel beside her.

"Don't be ashamed, there isn't a need to be. I know that it's not your first choice in life but it's a decision you have made; it's not a light decision either, I understand that. I won't judge you for it when you are here, or ever. It's your choice and I have no place throwing stones. You shouldn't judge yourself too harshly either."

Bella glanced up into Alice's dark, kind eyes and nodded. She didn't want to be judged for this, but she knew there were people who would. Thankfully, Alice was not one of them.

"And, besides," she continued, smoothing back Bella's hair a bit. "You are nothing like the previous "assistants" Edward has had. And I thank God for that."

Bella's heart seemed to beat a little faster, pumping jealousy through her veins. She had no real claim over Edward, and she had only met him mere hours ago. But, she couldn't shake the irrational anger that pooled in her blood at the thought of all the women that had come before her.

"Were there many?" She tried to sound nonchalant, but she was certain she hadn't managed.

Alice wasn't fooled, but didn't comment, "There have been two --well three, but I don't count the last one. There was Francine, who was his first; she was a bit bratty, having been around the block with this sort of thing before. She thought she owned the place. He only kept her for about eight months. Then there was Charlotte. I couldn't stand her as far as I could throw her, but Edward was terribly fond of her. Apparently she spoiled him, in numerous ways." Alice shuddered. "I had to witness it sometimes. Vomit." She made a face and Bella giggled despite herself.

"She was another one who was more experienced with the type of agreement. She was good to him, I admit, but she was obnoxious. She acted as if they were married, and I knew despite Edward's fondness of her, he never wanted that with her. He liked being doted on by someone other than Alistair and I assume she was good to him in the bedroom, or car, or restaurant bathroom..."

"What happened to her?" Bella asked, trying not to picture Edward with some buxom blonde in the back seat of a car.

"She got a better offer," Alice shrugged. "In that culture, you are always receiving offers for companionship. There are several websites, I'm sure you know, and old pros like Charlotte probably get several offers a day. I guess someone offered to marry her or something, because she was here one day and gone the next. Edward was a bit crushed. Which is why Tanya was in our life for about two weeks." Alice shuddered again.

"Tanya?" Bella was more than curious now, about the girl that had come before her.

"Yeah, blonde, too perky, self-entitled. I've done my share of research about "Sugar Babies" as she called herself, and she is probably the worst case of one. She always asked Edward for more money, even in the 2 weeks she was with him. She spent all her money in one day and she didn't even come to see me once." She leaned in to whisper, "Jasper said Edward told him she laid there like a dead fish during sex." She pulled back and giggled.

Bella just shook her head. She didn't want to be the one he talked about angrily to Alice's husband. She didn't want to be annoying or bossy. And she most certainly didn't want him to hate having sex with her.

Sex with her.

The thought struck her again and her stomach dropped. She would be having sex with him soon. For some reason, the thought terrified her. He was attractive and she wanted to have sex with him, yes indeed. But she didn't know him, and didn't know what he wanted. She wanted to be good for him.

"You aren't anything like those girls, Bella. Don't worry." Alice's voice broke her out of her internal struggles. "I can see it already. This life is not what you know, and you aren't taking anything for granted. Don't worry about how he will see you or how to act. He will like you just as you are." She smiled and patted Bella gently on the back before standing up.

"Ok, let's box this up for you! We won't have time to stop at La Perla today, so I'll just toss a bunch of their stuff in a bag. I have a bunch of their new stock here. Start putting things in these bags." She handed Bella a few large bags with "Whitlock's" printed neatly across the sides.

Bella began to gather up the clothes in front of her and place them in the bags, as Alice flitted around grabbing up random clothes here and there and placing them in a bag she was carrying.

"We are going to need some help getting this into the elevator across the street," Alice sighed, running a hand through her hair. Bella had to agree; there were easily eight bags in front of them. Eight very large bags.

"Well, we could make a few trips? And I could ring up for Alistair to help us once we get there."

Alice nodded. "Good idea. I need to hire some men here for this exact situation."

Bella picked up her coat and pulled the envelope she had tucked there.

"How much is it for all of this? I want to pay you before we leave." Bella was sure there was more than $2500 in clothes sitting before her, and the thought made her nauseous. She really needed to save this money, not spend it.

Alice looked at her funny.

"You don't owe me anything. When you come to this show room, you don't pay for it. Edward pays my overhead, and that covers all of the clothes you get here. If we go out, then you pay."

"No, that can't be right; this cost a lot of money! Why would he give me money and send me here if he was paying anyway?" Bella was perplexed; this made no sense.

"That's the way it's always been. Maybe he forgot to mention it to you?"

Bella nodded. Maybe he had. He was very sleepy when she had spoken to him about coming to see Alice, and maybe this information had slipped his mind.

Together, Alice and Bella loaded up the bags on their shoulders and started down the stairs. Bella tried hard to maintain her balance walking down the grand staircase; the last thing she needed was to topple down and land right in front of Lauren. That would be glamourous.

They walked out onto the street and made their way quickly across the street to the Benson before the bags began to cut into their shoulders.

Once inside the lobby, Bella dropped the bags unceremoniously near the front desk. The concierge looked slightly affronted and gave her a disapproving look. Alice giggled slightly.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, can you do me a favor, and ring up to the Grand Suite, Mr. Cullen's suite, and please ask Alistair to come down? We need some help loading these bags into the elevator."

Upon hearing Edward's name, the concierge all but fell over herself to pick up the desk phone and dial the suite. In no time, the elevator opened and Alistair emerged. He walked toward them, snapping his fingers for the bellhop -- the same young man Bella had seen earlier this morning -- to come help him load the bags to the elevator.

"It would seem your shopping trip was indeed a successful one?" He quirked an amused eyebrow at her as he took the four bags at her feet and lifted them easily.

"I just don't know where on earth all of it is going to fit. There's not enough room up there for all of this."

Alistair smiled. "I am a miracle worker when it comes to space. And besides, the closets at Benson Tower are to die for."

After the bags were loaded, Alistair seemed to see that Alice was still lurking, and his face lit up.

"Alice Whitlock, you come here this instant. I haven't seen you in months."

Alice flushed and bounded over to the older man, embracing him as he kissed her cheeks.

"How have you been, _mon petit_?" He whispered.

She smiled. "I've been wonderful! You should have come in with Bella this morning, I would have loved to see you then."

"I wanted to, but she seemed intent on proving herself." He looked over her head and winked at Bella, who stood a bit awkwardly to the side. "How is that husband of yours?"

"Oh, he's just," she sighed dreamily. "He's amazing. There has never been a better husband."

Alistair smiled softly at her. "It was good to see you, Miss Alice. Please come see us again. I'm sure Mr. Cullen would love for you and Jasper to come over, once we've moved, yes?"

She grinned and nodded. "Jasper misses him. He's been working too much."

Alistair nodded and pressed another kiss to her cheek before glancing at Bella again. "Come, Isabella, let's get this upstairs so we don't keep him waiting. We have to leave shortly for Benson Tower."

* * *

See, I wanted sexytimes in this chapter, but it just didn't happen. Edward returns next chapter.

You can follow me on twitter http[:]//twitter[.]com/liioncub to see what I'm doing or if I'm writing, ect. I'm going to add some links to the profile about the locations of this story, so look for that!


	3. Chapter 3

All recognizable characters belong to Stephenie Meyer

* * *

Hello, again!

Just want to thank my wonderful Beta **vanilladoubleshot** for cleaning this up and keeping me sane you are an angel.

**le moulin** for being my cheerleader when I was feeling like crap while I was writing last night. I love you!

And **pinkeveningsky **for whoring me out on twitter.

This chapter ate my brain a little :( and I realized I'm a bit rusty on E/B smut, welp.

* * *

The elevator opened to reveal Edward, leaning casually against the wall near the closet, reading from his Blackberry. He glanced up at the sound of the doors.

His eyes widened and he laughed. "My goodness. Someone had a nice time."

Bella flushed and looked down at the bags in front of her -- she and Alistair had a hard time finding a place to stand in the elevator because there was just so _much_.

"It's hard to say no to Alice."

He walked forward and grabbed two of the bags closest to the doors. Slinging them easily over his shoulder, he looked at her and smiled.

"Oh, I know that better than you think. It's good to come to terms with that fact early."

She felt a flutter in her abdomen. She couldn't explain why the fact that he smiled shocked her… In her mind she had an image of a tyrant who was going to be stern and boss her around, but he was kind and had little crinkles in the corner of his eyes. She wondered again why he was invested in relationships like this.

After all of the bags were unloaded, Edward retrieved his coat from the closet and glanced at Bella. "If you are going to change, I suggest you do it now. And quickly."

Bella stared for a moment before she realized what he had said to her, before nearly falling over herself digging through a bag looking for a new pair of jeans. She hurried into the bedroom, skidding and pushing the door shut.

Bella pulled her jeans on quickly and ripped the ratty t-shirt she was wearing over her head. She grabbed a button up shirt from a hanger in the closet and buttoned it quickly, shoving everything in the dirty clothes bin. She shoved her feet in some heels, fluffed her hair, and whipped open the door, a bit out of breath.

"Now, that is my kind of woman. Ready in four minutes!" Alistair applauded, winking at Bella with a grin.

Bella smiled and looked down, picking at the hem of her blouse.

When she looked up, Edward was standing at the elevator, holding her coat open. She walked to him and helped her into her coat.

"Let's go take a look at the apartment, shall we?"

***

The apartment was enormous and Bella was sure that it cost more than four times the modest little apartment she shared with Rose. The hardwood floors were beautiful and there were windows overlooking the city all along the back wall, and even a kitchen complete with a stove, sink, and refrigerator.

Bella was standing in the kitchen, running her fingers over the light pine counter tops. "Alistair cooks, too?"

She wondered if Edward might like for her to cook for him on occasion.

"He does. He is quite the cook… I'm shocked I'm not obese with how well he feeds me."

"I like to cook," she offered quietly, looking down at the countertop.

She heard him move toward her. His hand came to her face, taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger. His thumb smoothed against the skin before he turned her to face him.

"I'm sure you are a marvelous cook. You can cook any time you like."

Bella nodded and smiled nervously.

He dropped his hand to hers and found the pinky finger of her right hand. Tugging on it gently, he pulled her out of the kitchen into the hall.

"Come. I want to show you the master bedroom."

Bella's insides clenched as they approached the door. She was going to have to get over this soon.

Edward pushed open the door and Bella's eyes widened at the room before her.

The room was enormous with a round pillar in the center. There was a king-sized bed against the pillar, facing two panoramic windows that took three-quarters of the room's perimeter.

The carpets were white. The walls were white. The bedding was beige. The room was so grand and majestic, Bella wondered why the décor was so bland.

"Do you like it? I'm sorry that we don't have the top apartment in the building. Donald Trump bought the one above us; pissed me off." His voice sounded slightly irritated, like he was holding a deep seated grudge.

Bella nodded vaguely and began to wander around the bedroom. She walked to the windows and realized that they came together at a slight angle, creating a small corner. It looked perfect to curl up in and read.

"If you don't like the bedding or something, I can have it changed." Edward seemed very keen on Bella's approval of the bedroom.

She turned to face him once more before glancing around the room.

"It's so big… I love it. But…" Bella bit her lip. She wanted to be honest with him without appearing petulant. "It seems... bland? It's very… white-washed in here."

Edward's eyebrows creased and he looked around.

"I suppose it is. I could have it painted by Thursday; do you have a color suggestion?"

Bella shrugged. "Red?"

It was the polar opposite of the room now.

Edward's eyebrows shot up and his mouth popped open.

"_Red_?" He looked around the room again, dazed.

Bella wanted to giggle. She was sure nothing in his life had ever been red.

He glanced at her before nodding. He pulled his Blackberry out of his pocket, shooting a final nervous glance around the room before he started dialing.

While Edward was on the phone, Bella wandered behind the room's vast pillar to the closet. Tugging the door open, she nearly cried in joy when she saw how spacious it was inside. Alistair hadn't been kidding -- this closet was to die for. She couldn't wait until all of her new clothes were inside. It almost made her want go out to buy even more.

She stopped dreaming of clothes, however, and mentally chastised herself. The money she earned from Edward was not for filling up closet space; it was to get her out of debt.

"Bella?"

Bella whipped around to see Edward peeking his head out from behind the pillar.

"Oh, I didn't mean to startle you; I just wanted to let you know that they will be painting tomorrow. I suppose I will have to call Alice and tell her we will need new bedding."

Bella nodded and closed the door to the closet. She walked out into the open part of the bedroom and found Edward sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Bella, come sit here a moment."

The nervous flutter returned as she moved to sit beside him.

Alone with Edward in a bedroom.

On a bed.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to run away, or strip him naked. Those feelings combated each other as she sat.

His hand came up to brush her cheek.

"You seem so nervous; I don't want you do be apprehensive around me. I'm not a monster or a villain. You are here because you want to be, and I want you here. Despite what this arrangement might suggest, this is not all about me. At all. I want you to enjoy yourself, I want to spoil you. It seems like no one has ever spoiled you before."

He smiled, thumbing her bottom lip before dropping his hand.

Bella lowered her gaze.

"I just didn't know what I was expecting, but this… isn't it. It's so extravagant." She looked up into his eyes and half smiled. "I'm not used to extravagant."

"Few are used to extravagance, but doesn't mean they don't deserve it. I want you to enjoy your time here with me and have fun. I want you to experience things you never have before. Don't feel guilty or undeserving of the things I want to give you."

His eyes were fierce and determined. Bella as almost unnerved at how well he could read what she was feeling, and had been feeling, in the short time they had spent together. His kind, earnest words, the bedroom, the fact that he was going to paint it red for her… it all became overwhelming, and she just felt as if she had to kiss him. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his cherry red pair.

His hand came to her jaw and she heard him inhale sharply through his nose. His lips were soft and his bottom lip fit right between hers. His thumb moved to rest on her chin and she felt the slightest pressure, asking her to open for him. His tongue wasn't shy and entered her mouth at the first opportunity.

Their tongues slipped together gently, learning each other; becoming acquainted. Bella could tell his passion and control in the way he kissed her. She had initiated the kiss, but he was leading now. His hand slipped down from her jaw to smooth over her neck and down her shoulder. He gripped her firmly and tugged a little, encouraging her to move closer.

She slid her leg over his and settled into his lap. His hands came up, gripping her firmly at the back of her neck. One of his hands dug into the hair at the base of her skull and she moaned. He exhaled; and she was surprised to find the sound was high pitched, almost like a whimper. Bella shifted and her hands found the back of his head.

Lips began to move faster, sloppier, and Edward's hand wandered to the hem of her shirt. Her coat was still on, and her skin felt too warm, too concealed. His hands felt too hot against her skin as it slipped beneath to cotton fabric, over her hip and resting at the small of her back. Her fingers clenched in his thick hair, tugging, breaking the contact of their lips, but his did not cease the exploration of her body.

His teeth found the taut skin of her jaw, nipping roughly, and then dragging gently over the soft buttery skin next to her throat. She wanted to scream and squirm at the feeling, to get closer and get away simultaneously. Her mouth hung open, her lips shiny and swollen from his unforgiving kisses. She tilted her head back and forth as his lips moved, finding purchase on a new patch of undiscovered skin. She wasn't sure how much longer this would remain just kissing.

As if on cue with her thoughts, the shrill ring of Edward's Blackberry broke through the quiet moans and pants that had been the only noise in the room. His mouth stilled against her collarbone before he removed his hand from her shirt to dig his phone out of his pocket. He brought the phone to his ear as his eyes found hers.

He smiled. "Yes, Alistair."

As he listened, his eyes moved back and forth between hers, and his tongue darted out to wet his lips. She tried to shift off of her lap, but his arm tightened around her waist, keeping her there.

"Of course, thank you. We will be down in a moment."

Edward pulled the phone away from his ear, ending the call. He glanced up at Bella, smiling again and leaned forward to press his lips against hers.

"We have a lunch reservation that we are very nearly late for. I guess I will show you the rest of the apartment on Thursday?"

Bella nodded. She hadn't really intended to start making out with him, but she couldn't really find it in herself to complain. She wondered what would have happened if Alistair hadn't called.

Edward helped her out of his lap and stood. The side of his mouth pulled up and he reached out his hand to smooth a bit of her hair.

"Come on, then. Let's go eat."

He reached for her hand and exited the bedroom. They made their way out of the apartment and into the elevator. It was a long ride down, and Edward held her hand the entire time. Bella tried to hide the smile that formed on her lips, but couldn't quite manage. Even realizing he probably held the previous women's hands couldn't deter her now.

Alistair was parked out front when they stepped out of the building.

"Do you like Chinese?" Edward asked as they slipped into the back seat of the car. Alistair closed the door quietly.

"I do, very much."

"Excellent. This is the best Chinese food in the city."

The restaurant was beautiful inside, all dark woods and jade. When they walked in, they were greeted by an attractive Asian girl who greeted Edward warmly.

"_Ni hao_, Mr. Cullen. Two today?"

Edward bowed slightly, "_Ni hao_, Shao. Yes, please; a booth, if you have one."

She nodded, and pulled two menus out from behind the hostess stand and turned sharply to lead them to their seat. The restaurant was full of businessmen having lunch. Bella wondered if this was a favorite spot for Edward's business dealings.

Their seat was toward the back, in a secluded section of the room.

"The buffet is open, and your waiter will be with you shortly."

"Thank you, Shao."

They sat, looking over their menus in silence.

"Would you like to go to the buffet, or do you want to order from the menu?" Edward asked.

Bella glanced over her menu to see him, his hands folded gazing at her. He had already made up his mind.

"I'll just order from the menu."

He smiled. "Me, too."

The waiter came moments later for their order. Edward ordered Szechuan chicken, while Bella ordered the General Tso's chicken.

"So, let's have some awkward small talk." Edward broke the silence between them as the waiter walked away. Bella laughed.

"Ok, what do you suggest for a topic?"

"Hmm," he pondered as he took a sip of his water. "What do your parents do?"

Bella's heart sunk. She hated this question.

"Well, my father was a policeman, but he was killed in the line of duty when I was about five."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Edward looked upset.

"Don't be. I almost hate talking about my parents because people get so upset when I tell them."

Edward's eyebrows creased.

"My mother passed away a month after I left for college. Drunk driver."

"Bella..."

"Don't. It's not necessary. It's hard sometimes, but I've managed without them for a while."

He nodded.

"I understand how you feel. My father is gone as well."

Bella was confused.

"Carlisle Cullen isn't your real dad‽" Bella knew Carlisle was very much alive.

Edward smiled. "He is not. My biological father died when I was about eighteen, as well."

He took another sip of his water.

"Who was your father then?"

"My mother was married to my father, Edward Masen, Sr, for about two years; long enough to have me, really. He left when I was very small, and Carlisle had been a friend of my mother's for years. He had always been in love with her, so when I was about five, they got married. I always knew Carlisle wasn't my biological father, but I never knew who my real father was. When I was fourteen, he contacted my mother and wanted back in my life. He set up a trust fund for me to go to college, and he wanted me to take over his business. He died of a heart attack about a month after I started college. I got my degree in business, followed by getting my real estate license. I took over Masen Real Estate Firms two weeks after my twenty-second birthday. I had quite a bit of help, but I'm here now."

The next question was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"Why do you have this kind of arrangement with women?"

His eyebrows shot to his hair line and his mouth popped open. Bella's hand flew to her mouth.

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to blurt that out like that!" Her face was red and she wanted to crawl under the table.

Edward rubbed his forehead. "It's fine. I just, I didn't expect that to be your next question."

"I didn't either," Bella mumbled.

He looked at her for a long moment before a smiled a bit.

"I heard about this sort of thing from a colleague of mine when I was in New York. I never really have time for a girlfriend, and he suggested this. I thought it was pretty awful at first, but… the nights get kind of lonely when you are half way around the world, so I decided to try it. I don't know," he shrugged. "I tried to date women and they all just kind of hated that I was away all the time and that they could never come with me. The kind of idea going in to one of these arrangements, the girl knows that's the case." He shrugged again and looked up at Bella apologetically.

She nodded at him. "I guess I understand. I know there are some men who go on those websites and they are married and with children. This is far less nefarious." She smiled at him. He smiled a little in return.

"Regardless, my cousin Emmett still tells me I'm an asshole for this."

"'Asshole' seems like a strong word."

Edward shrugged again. "I've been called worse by better."

Their lunch arrived soon after, and their conversation was pulled away from the arrangement, for which Bella was glad. She was sure Edward's next question would be about why she was in this sort of arrangement. She was sure her reason would seem foolish.

Toward the end of lunch, Edward's Blackberry rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and groaned.

"Shit. I'm sorry, Bella."

He pressed the button to answer.

"Edward Cullen."

Bella watched as he lowered his head to his free hand and began speaking angrily to the person on the other end of the line.

"That's absurd. That property was supposed to be closed on the first of this month. They have no legal claim to it now, why are they going to fucking sue us? This is ridiculous."

Bella finished her lunch in silence, listening to Edward's angry conversation. When he finally hung up, he looked very aggravated.

"I'm very sorry. Are you finished? We need to leave; I have to go into the office for a while."

Bella nodded and Edward stood from his chair. He helped her into her coat and took her hand again, practically dragging her behind him. They stopped at the front, where Shao was talking on the phone in rapid Chinese.

Edward took a hundred dollar bill from his wallet and handed it to Shao wordlessly. She took it, nodded and waved good-bye.

"Do you run out on them often?" Bella asked as they exited the restaurant.

Edward smirked.

"Business calls me away a lot. They are used to it."

Alistair was waiting for them outside in the car. He was reading the newspaper with the stereo blasting and didn't even see them exit.

"I wonder about him sometimes," Edward mumbled, shaking his head as he rapped sharply on the passenger-side window.

Alistair jumped in alarm.

"Sir!" He exclaimed, turning down the radio before he got out of the car. "I didn't expect you for another half hour, at least."

"Yes, well. I have to get to the office. The Radcliffe estate has gone to shit, it would appear. We are going to drop Bella at the Benson first, however."

"Of course." Alistair unlocked the back door and opened it for them. He smiled and winked at Bella.

Once in the back seat and on their way, Edward turned to Bella.

"I won't probably return until late this evening, but I would like to ask you to be awake when I return?"

Bella's stomach clenched, and she nodded.

"Wonderful. You may order anything you like from room service and you can order movies if you want."

Bella nodded again, and Edward smiled.

The ride to the Benson was a short one, and before Bella got out of the car, Edward cupped her face and kissed her.

"Please try to stay awake tonight, hmm?"

Bella's stomach clenched again. "Yes."

Edward's smiled and kissed her again, lingering for a moment. "Have a nice day. I will see you later."

***

After a whole day of eating room service and watching movies, Bella hated to admit she was getting a little tired. Granted, she had been awake since before 4am, and the day had been pretty much nonstop. Now that she had been lounging around for a while, it was catching up with her.

It was almost 8:30 and Edward still wasn't home. Bella wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out, and wondered what would happen if he came home and she was asleep. Would he wake her? Or would he simply go to sleep as well and scold her in the morning. Deciding that she didn't want a scolding on her second day (or miss out on why he wanted her to be awake when he got home), Bella decided to take a bath.

The bathtub was just a huge as she remembered, and she was excited to try it out. It sunk deep in the floor and was made for two people. She was a bit sad, knowing that she and Edward would probably never share the tub here. She didn't get a chance to scope out the tub at the apartment.

She turned on the taps and hunted around for some bubble bath. The tub took a few minutes to fill, so Bella wandered around the bathroom, peeking at all of Edward's toiletries. All of the bottles were lined up perfectly in a row, with his toothbrush tilted just so on the edge of the sink. Edward would probably know she had been snooping. He wore Ralph Lauren Polo Black cologne, and used a subtly masculine aftershave, but the label was in a language Bella couldn't understand. He hadn't been wearing the cologne today, but it smelled divine in the bottle.

Would he notice if she was sniffing him tomorrow?

The bathtub was finally full, so Bella stripped and sank gratefully into the hot water. She sighed, leaning back and stretching her legs out. Two people be damned; this was perfect for one. She smiled when she saw that the tub was stocked with a few razors and some shampoo. She washed her hair and shaved her legs before laying back and relaxing.

She let her mind wander to what would happen when Edward arrived home tonight. Would he want to talk to her about her... duties as his "companion?"

Would he want to have sex?

That seemed like the likely course of action, but Bella didn't want to appear to be expecting anything. But she couldn't help but hope something would happen when he got home. Their kisses in the apartment had piqued her interest and sparked lust inside of her.

Her mind also wandered to his explanation for the arrangement. He just didn't have time for a girlfriend? At the time when he explained, it made sense to Bella. He was busy and she had only spent about two hours with him today, so she could understand why past girlfriends hadn't been too pleased with him being gone so much. But… paying someone to spend time with him when he was around?

Not that she was really complaining; she was sure she had lucked out with this arrangement, but it just seemed so odd. Surely he could delegate his duties to people who worked for him in order to have a personal life. Bella tried to not let her mind make up more nefarious reasons for this situation. He was handsome and seemed kind and good natured; she wanted to like him, not assume the worst.

There was a digital clock on the counter, and Bella sighed, seeing it was just after nine. She would have to get out of the tub if she didn't want to fall asleep in it. Regretfully, she hoisted herself out of the cooling water and pulled the stopper. There was a fluffy terry cloth bath robe on the back of the door, and she wondered if it was Edward's. She was cold and didn't see any towels, so she nicked it off the back of the door and slid it on. It was definitely Edward's: it nearly skimmed the floor and the sleeves were too long. She slipped into the bedroom where the TV was still glowing with a movie she had rented. She went to the closet and started to sift through her options.

She could wear something lacy and let him know that she wanted him tonight, but she didn't want to come across as desperate. She could wear something comfortable to bed, but that would give off the impression that she was tired and frumpy and just wanted to sleep. She flopped down on the floor and sighed. Who knew choosing sleep attire would be so complex?

She opened a drawer in the closet that held the clothes she had brought with her this morning. There was a pretty cotton chemise with flowers on it that seemed perfect. It was a little casual, but a little sexy at the same time. She had bought right after she found out she had gotten the job with Edward, because she didn't really have any sexy underwear in her wardrobe. She pulled it on with the matching boy shorts, and hung the bathrobe on the hook inside the closet door. She pulled a comb though her hair and climbed into the squishy bed. She curled up on her side, pulling the sheets up to her shoulder and watched the rest of the movie.

At about ten, Bella heard the elevator doors chime alerting Edward's arrival home. She tried not to feel antsy, but wasn't quite succeeding.

She heard a loud crash and an even louder "Motherfucker!" from the den and she stifled a giggle. She managed to stay nonchalant as the door open and he peeked his head in.

"Hey," he said softly as she lifted her head. "Did I wake you?"

She shifted a little so she could see him better. "No, I've been awake. Did you break something?"

He muttered as he closed the door. "Yes. Some vase that belongs to the hotel. The automatic lights didn't come on and it's pitch black out there. I walked right into the piano."

She smiled in amusment, and turned her face into the pillow so he wouldn't see her laughing at him.

"I'm quickly going to go get changed; I'll be out in a minute." She turned her head to see him walking toward the bathroom.

She simply nodded and snuggled back into the blankets. The movie was ending as he walked out five minutes later. He walked to the closet and deposited his clothes in the hamper. Such tidiness.

He was wearing a pair of flannel sleep pants and a wife-beater shirt. He filled it out nicely, much to Bella's delight. When he got into the bed, he slid right next to Bella and slid one of his arms around her, pulling her body to him.

"I'm glad you are still awake." She felt his nose in her hair. She wondered if it was strange, how intimate they seemed together, being that they had only just met today. But, she reminded herself that she was essentially his call girl, it probably meant nothing.

"I told you I would be." Her voice was soft as she turned to look at his face. He was gazing at her with a gentle longing in his eyes.

He nodded absently before he leaned in and kissed her gently. He pulled back, the fingers of his one hand trailing over the lace of her chemise.

"This is pretty. Did you get this today?"

"No, I bought this before I came here. I didn't..." She stopped herself, not wanting to tell him that she owned nothing like this because she hadn't had a boyfriend in about two years.

"Didn't what?" He asked, running his fingers through her damp hair.

"I didn't have anything like this before." She finished, grudgingly. So much for not telling him.

"Well, it looks lovely on you."

He smiled at her again, and his arms came around her. He pressed his lips to hers and began to kiss her slowly, gently. This was nice.

When his lips pulled away, Bella was once again overcome by a question she couldn't stop.

"Are you going to have sex with me?"

She groaned the moment the words left her lips and went to pull away from him. His arms tightened and she could feel him laughing.

"I really need to stop doing that," she mumbled forlornly as she pressed her face into the pillow.

"I quite like the lack of filter. I never know what is going to come out of your mouth."

She groaned again and he squeezed her in his arms.

"I was just planning on a little chat and then sleeping, but now that you have brought it up, I can't get it out of my head."

Bella's heartbeat quickened and she pulled her face out of the pillow to look at him.

"What do you want to talk about?" She figured she would start with that first.

"Well, the topic relates to your question, so it was a good – albeit abrupt – segue."

"Ok..." Bella wasn't sure how to respond.

He chuckled warmly. "Relax. _Relax_." He said it the second time as a whisper as he leaned in to kiss her. He was so warm and his lips tasted of mint. "I just want to get to know a little bit about you, in this… department, so to speak. Nothing groundbreaking."

Bella nodded but didn't say anything; she just waited for him to start.

"All right, let's just break the ice and get the hard one out of the way? I will answer as well, if it makes you feel better?" Bella nodded. "Ok. How many men have you been with?"

Bella swallowed and wanted to turn away. But she held her ground.

"Two. And you?"

"None."

Bella's eyebrows creased. "What?"

"I've never slept with any men."

She looked at his eyes and they were dancing with humor. She put her hand on his chest and shoved, giggling despite herself.

"Stop it."

He laughed as he pulled her back to his chest.

"Fine. I have slept with six _women_."

Bella nodded. She knew who three of those women were.

"So, just two?" His voice was soft.

Bella shrugged. "Two boyfriends, nothing too exciting."

"When did your last relationship end?" His hand had slipped under the covers and was now skimming the bare skin on her thigh.

She bit her lip. "Two years ago. I was a junior in college, and he, well he was an idiot."

Edward smiled as his hand caught the back of her knee. He tugged it over his hip.

"He must have been an idiot, because you are _so_ beautiful. He probably had no idea what he was giving up."

Bella just stared up at him as he spoke. He was gazing down at her with a look that said he knew exactly what to do. Her hands slid up his chest.

"No," she breathed. She had no idea where this breathy voice had come from. "He didn't have a clue."

His lips met hers again, but this time, he didn't pull back. He twisted himself so he was slightly on top of her, and he pulled her leg even further around his body. Bella's hands slid up his chest and around his shoulders. She gripped them as tightly as she could and pulled her body closer to him.

Bella tugged at the back of his shirt, pulling until she felt a good portion of it bunched in her hands. She tugged again with a little more force. Without hesitation, Edward rolled her onto her back and sat up on his knees, tugging the shirt over his head and tossing it to toward the closet. Bella reached up and ran her hands over the newly exposed skin. He was toned, but still lanky. She let her fingers dance along the subtle outlines of his abs.

He shifted so he was settled between her legs, and slid his hands lightly up her thighs.

"As pretty as this is," he said, smiling and tugging on the hem of her top, "I don't think this is necessary anymore, yes?"

Bella nodded and sat up as Edward tugged the shirt over her head. It, too, joined his shirt near the closet.

He leaned over her, pressing her back into the bed and kissed her before moving his lips down her neck to her chest. She arched up as his hands skimmed upward over her ribs to rest on her breasts. His right hand kneaded gently. He cupped her breast and brought his mouth down, capturing her nipple in his warm mouth. She moaned.

Bella felt him smiling against her skin as he opened his mouth to take her deeper, suckling hard and nipping her skin before he switched sides to provide equal torture. He moved his face down to the dip below her sternum, pressing his teeth there before he sat back again, running his hands over her stomach.

"Your skin is so soft. It tastes like summer."

She bit her lip and closed her eyes, reveling in the feeling of his hands on her skin. It felt so good, so nice to just be _touched_. His hands found the waistband of her panties, and he pulled them down. She pulled her legs up awkwardly, trying to accommodate him. He caught her ankle, tugging her leg back down and moving her closer to him; he bent down and kissed her stomach. He pressed his lips a bit lower.

"Has anyone tasted you here?" His eyes flickered to hers, his long eyelashes pressing underneath his eyebrows.

Her teeth found her lip again. "Y-yes."

"Hmm," he hummed, looking back down, his eyes glowing.

He pressed the backs her thighs, opening her up to him. His eyes finding hers again, he leaned forward and pressed his lips gently between her thighs. She stifled a moan. He didn't advance or make any movement for a full ten seconds, and just when Bella thought the suspense would overcome her, his tongue reached out and flicked lightly against her clit. She fisted the sheet below her as her legs shook.

His eyes stayed on hers as he licked and nibbled on her sensitive flesh. She tried not to be loud, not wanting to give off the screamer vibe, so she kept her moans were soft as he worked her slowly forward. The last thing she wanted was to be like the dead fish who had come before her. His hands slid along her inner thighs, holding her hips down as she began to writhe. His thumbs circled gently just above where his lips were moving.

"Ed… oh God," she panted, she could feel that warm feeling that meant she was about to come. His tongue slipped against her firmer, faster, until finally she hit her peak. She cried out once, panting and moving with his mouth as he brought her down. She squirmed a little, feeling too sensitive, and he sat up.

"Do you know how sexy you are when you come?" He leaned over her and kissed her roughly, his tongue pressing into her mouth, her taste lingering on him. His fingers moved between her legs, dancing softly, tickling her clit. She squirmed again.

"Sensitive?" He was almost smirking as he gazed down at her.

She nodded. "It's just, I've never..."

His hand stopped.

"What? What's wrong."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I just, have never been able to.... you know more than once in a night. It's hard for me to handle.

His hand reached up and stroked her cheek. "Don't worry. We'll take it easy."

"No! I don't want to stop. I just... need a minute."

He looked at her for a moment before he leaned down, nestling on top of her. He pressed his lips to hers softly, taking his time. They kissed for a few minutes before Edward's hips began to move against hers. She reached down and started to push at his sleep pants, attempted to get them over his hips. He finally pulled back enough to help her, kicking them down into the end of the bed. She briefly wondered if he would remove them when she fell asleep and put them in the hamper.

He kissed her again once more before pulling back and resting his hands on the tops of her bent knees. Bella peeked down to catch a glimpse of him, and she was not disappointed. She was sure her eyes widened, but he made no comment. Instead, he just tilted forward a bit, pressing into her. She lifted her hips to meet him, her eyes rolling as he filled her.

He set a fast rhythm, his hand resting on her stomach as he stroked in and out of her. She lifted her legs to wrap around his waist, and she closed her eyes. He felt so good inside of her, stretching her. The way he moved told Bella that he wasn't here just for himself, he wanted her to enjoy it, to want it just as much as he did. She felt his hands groping for hers, and she opened her eyes to see him leaned over her, gazing down at her face, and pulling her arms over her head.

"Just feel me. Don't worry, just feel." His head dipped down and he kissed her lips, her eyebrow, before he rested them on her forehead.

His thrusts began to pick up after a few minutes, and Bella felt that warm curling again in her stomach. She had felt this before in the past, but could never quite get there. But, she just moved her hips with his and just concentrated on the feeling of him inside of her.

"Just feel it, baby. Just feel how I move inside of you. It feels so good, doesn't it?"

She bit her lip and nodded, the feeling was growing, but she was hitting that wall. Keening noises came out of her throat, and her legs began to shake.

"Shh, don't force it, just let go." His voice was labored as his own orgasm approached. He dropped down on his elbows, stomach to stomach, and rolled his hips sharply with hers. She wrapped her arms around his back and held on as his thrusts grew faster and faster. Her orgasm started, and it burned through her body. She gripped Edward's hair as it overcame her and exploded.

She cried out as he groaned a gravelly, "Fuck," into her ear. Her body quivered as his thrusts slowed, and he slid his arms under her and rolled to the side. He clutched her to his chest as she panted and whimpered. He gripped her hip and shifted, sliding out of her.

"Are you all right?" He asked, smoothing her hair out of her face.

She nodded, leaning her head forward to rest against his sternum. He shifted, reaching for the blankets as he pulled him up around her. She snuggled against his warm, damp body. His arms came around her and tucked her against his chest. She felt safe and wanted in his arms. She had expected the sex to make her feel used, but he had been a considerate and gentle lover. He had cared for her needs before his.

"That was wonderful," he murmured against her ear.

"Mmm, it was." She never felt so exhausted after sex before.

His hand came to her chin and tilted it up.

"You must be so tired. Go to sleep, we will talk in the morning." He kissed her lips and then her forehead before pressing his cheek to her hair.

She drifted to sleep as he stroked her hair, and drew patterns against her skin with his finger tips. The last though in Bella's head before she fell asleep was how familiar he felt already.

* * *

A few have asked me if I have a writing time table. I don't unfortunately. I try not to go more than 2 weeks without updating, but setting a time table is a bad idea for me. I just don't follow them, lol. And I have a hard time writing really meaty chapters. This is the longest chapter I have ever written in a fanfic, and it was a bit overwhelming. I don't know how authors write 15K chapters every week.

Anyway, I will see you next time!


	4. Chapter 4

Hi again! This chapter took a little longer than I had intended, so forgive me. It's a bit shorter than the last chapter, and it's not my favorite, but I hope you enjoy.

I've been trying to respond to every review, but I've fallen behind. I read every one of them and I thank you for all of the support and recs at **Edwardville** and from people on twitter. :) I am humbled that so many people like my little story!

And again, thank you to my beautiful beta **vanilladoubleshot**, who puts up with me.

* * *

Bella woke the next morning to an empty bed. She shifted in the cool sheets and found the spot where Edward had slept was still warm. She could hear the water running from the shower, so she rolled over and snuggled into the blankets once more.

When she awoke again a little while later, Edward was standing in front of the closet, tying his tie in the mirror.

She shifted and he turned, smiling at her when he saw she was awake. Still struggling with his tie, he came and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her.

Bella had to admit that the morning after was bringing more nerves than were present the night before. The enormity of the last night was suddenly dawning on her, and she felt embarrassed in his presence. She tugged the comforter up a bit higher.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" He stopped fussing with his tie for a moment to reach out and brush her cheek. She tucked her chin to her chest and smiled.

"I did. The bed is very comfy."

"It is. I'm going to miss it when we leave." He looked down and resumed his attempts to fix his stubborn tie. Taking pity on him, Bella sat up, tucking the blanket around her chest.

"Here, let me fix it."

He frowned before dropping his hands and scooting closer to her. She reached out, tugging a little to loosen it before beginning to fix it.

"You were sleeping so soundly this morning, I didn't have the heart to wake you," he said softly.

Her eyes flickered to his face, her brow creasing.

He shrugged, smiling a bit apologetically. "I thought about it, but you needed to sleep. I could tell you were tired yesterday."

Bella simply nodded, unsure of what to say. She stared at his tie, hardly helping because she was a bit flustered. Finally, with one final tug, the tie was straight.

He reached his hand up and smoothed it down, smiling graciously at her. "Thank you. I've never had such a stubborn tie before."

Bella drew her knees up, making sure she was covered by the blanket. She felt a little exposed with her bare shoulders and back. This morning conversation felt a bit awkward.

"I have to get to the office; I have a conference call with New York in about a half an hour. I want you to come in around ten, so I can show you around and introduce you to the rest of the staff."

Bella stiffened. She had forgotten that she was actually supposed to be his assistant to explain her presence. She was a little frightened for what this job would entail. She hoped that her performance in the office wouldn't affect the way he treated her at home.

"Ok." Bella was sure her uneasiness about this was palpable.

"Wonderful. There is breakfast out in the dining room, or you can go back to sleep; it is a bit early."

Opting to stay in the soft bed, Bella shifted and snuggled back down under the covers. Edward laughed a little before moving to lean over her.

"Good choice. I wish I could stay here with you." He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, his eyes scanning her face. "I've missed having a beautiful woman to warm my bed," he whispered before standing up.

Bella felt a shiver run through her at his words.

"Ten o'clock, Bella. Alistair will drive you."

She nodded and he smiled again. "I will see you later."

After a few minutes, Bella heard Alistair and Edward leave the suite, and she drifted off to sleep once more.

* * *

Bella was sitting in front of the closet looking at all of her clothing options. This was the problem with having so many clothes – you never had anything to wear.

There was a knock on the door.

"Miss Swan, we need to leave in a few minutes in order to reach the office by ten. Are you nearly ready?"

"Yes," she lied. Well, she was nearly ready, her hair was dry and her makeup was on, she just had nothing to wear.

She sighed and grabbed a skirt and white blouse from her shopping trip with Alice. Opting for a garter belt and thigh highs as well, the outfit was simple and professional. She pulled out her favorite heels, choosing not to wear a new pair that would hurt her feet.

She looked into the mirror and shrugged.

"This will have to do." She mumbled to herself and stepped out of the bedroom.

Alistair was leaning against the back of one of the couches with his coat on and holding hers in his hand. When she exited the bedroom, he smiled.

"There she is. And my, do you look stunning Miss Swan."

Bella flushed. "Does this look ok? Do I look the part?"

Alistair walked over and held open her coat.

"Oh, yes my dear. You look absolutely lovely."

After helping her into her coat, they set off toward the elevator.

"Now, don't be nervous. You will do fine and he will make sure that you are well taken care of."

She turned and smiled at him. He always knew what to see to calm her nerves.

The drive to the office took about ten minutes, which put them there at quarter of ten. Edward would be very pleased by her punctuality.

"Would you like me to show you up?" Alistair asked as he held open the car door for her. Remembering yesterday's fiasco with Lauren, Bella nodded vigorously.

He took her hand and tucked it into the crook of his elbow.

The lobby was enormous, with Masen Real Estate Firms written in gold script behind the main reception desk. But they didn't stop in front of it; they continued past it right into an elevator.

"When you come in by yourself the next time, you need to go to floor twenty. That is the main floor where Mr. Cullen does his business. It is also the top floor owned by Masen Real Estate Firms."

The elevator was quick, and in no time they reached the 20th floor. They stepped out into a beige room.

"What is it with Edward and beige?" She mumbled more to herself as Alistair steered her to the reception desk on this floor. He laughed.

"Mr. Cullen likes status quo. Beige is peaceful and calming."

"Yeah, and boring," Bella responded, wrinkling her nose at the oatmeal colored walls.

"I heard about the red bedroom," Alistair whispered. Bella's cheeks flushed but she smiled secretly at him.

They arrived at the desk and were greeted by an attractive older woman who only had eyes for Alistair.

"Well, hello Alistair! What brings you all the way up here?" She leaned forward and batted her eyelashes.

Alistair dropped Bella's arm and rested his elbows on the desk.

"Well, Margaret, I was just accompanying Mr. Cullen's new assistant to the proper floor. I wanted to make sure she got here on time to meet with him."

"Quite right," Margaret beamed before turning to smile at Bella. "Hello, dear. What is your name?"

Bella stepped forward and cleared her throat. "Um, Bella Swan."

"Oh, yes. He did mention you would be joining us. He should he out at any moment. And my, Alistair, she is a pretty one, isn't she? Wherever does he find these beautiful women to be his assistants?"

"Well, where did he find you?"

Alistair winked and Bella's eyes almost fell out of her head. She brought her hand to her mouth to prevent herself from laughing. Alistair was quite the charmer.

"Bella."

She turned to see Edward striding toward her, a soft smile on his face. She noticed that his tie was gone.

"Mr. Cullen," she greeted, finally tearing her eyes away from Alistair and the receptionist.

"I'm glad you are early. I wanted to go over a few things with you in my office." He motioned with his hand and turned toward his office.

She shot one last amused glance at Alistair and Margaret before show followed him. She entered the large office and spun in wonder.

While the main part of the floor was beige and oatmeal, this room was not. It was dark woods and lacquer finishes. Rich and masculine, it suited the powerful man in front of her.

"Let me take your coat for you."

"Oh, thank you." She unbuttoned it distractedly as she looked around the vast room. He slipped it from her shoulders and hung it on the rack near the door.

"If you are wondering," he said, snapping her out of her wonderment, "Alistair is always like that with Margaret. I'm going to hit him one of these days."

She looked at his face and laughed. Edward looked exasperated at his friend and butler.

He smiled at her laughter. "They have been like that for about 5 years. I'm going to lock them in a storage room very soon."

Bella laughed again and started to wander around the office.

"Come here." He called from his desk. She walked over and saw a manila folder with a BlackBerry sitting on top of it. It was a different one that the one he had.

"This is a list of all my upcoming travel and business endeavors for the next month, along with a BlackBerry of your own to keep track of them. I would like to be the only one who has the number, if you don't mind."

She looked up at him and saw that he was all business now. No joking about Alistair pining for the receptionist. He was the CEO now.

Bella nodded. "Of course, thank you."

"I am going to call most of the senior staff in here in a little while to introduce you. You will essentially be my liaison. If they have questions for me, they will ask you if I am available. Margaret will make most of my meetings, and then put them in the calendar that is linked to your phone.

"I don't need you here every day, but I would like for you to be here at least 3 days a week, just to check that things are going smoothly. I do want you to try to follow up with clients after meetings, et cetera, and I will go over that with you when the time comes. With me so far?"

Bella nodded but she was a bit dazed. This was going to be a lot of actual work. She was overwhelmed, but happy. Sitting around in a large apartment with only the butler would really make her feel like his live-in whore. Now she had something real to do.

"Good. We are to remain professional in this office. You are to call me 'Mr. Cullen' when the other associates are around. You may call me Edward when we are in this office together."

He paused. "However, if proper discretion is taken…"

He leaned forward, sliding his hand over her hip and raising an eyebrow.

Bella bit her lip and leaned into him slightly. She raised a single finger and stroked lightly on the dip of his throat, now visible without his tie.

"What happened to your tie?" She asked softly, her eyes rising to meet his. He sighed.

"The conference call this morning did not go well, and that tie had been pissing me off already. So, it got tossed somewhere."

She smiled at him and withdrew, putting distance between the once more.

"I will page Margaret, and have her take you to your office. Again, if you want anything changed, let me know."

She simply nodded, and picked up her shiny new phone, fiddling with it.

"Margaret." Edward spoke into the intercom. There was no answer. "Godammit, Alistair."

After a few seconds, Margaret's crackly and flustered voice filled the room. "I am sorry, Mr. Cullen! What can I do for you, sir?"

Edward's eyes met mine and he shook his head. Bella giggled.

"I would like you to show Ms. Swan to her new office, and then around the rest of the office so she can familiarize herself."

"Of course, sir. I will be right there."

Edward shook his head again and smiled at Bella. Margaret appeared at the door a moment later, beckoning Bella toward her.

"Come dear, let's go look at your office."

"Bring her back in fifteen minutes, please."

Margaret flashed him a motherly smile and nodded.

Bella followed her out of Edward's office and down the hall to another office that was furnished similarly to Edward's.

"Here we are! It's smaller than Mr. Cullen's, but that's just because he is the boss. His friend's wife furnished most of the office, and I thank God for that. It's so sleek and stylish in here. It is a shame that the poor man doesn't have a wife of his own." She clicked her tongue and shook her head.

Bella just nodded distractedly and looked around her new office. This room was warmer than Edward's, less dark colors and more light, neutral tones. The furniture was the same, but this room did not have a couch the way Edward's office did.

"All righty, Miss Swan. Let me show you around the rest of the floor. There will be time for a full tour of the building later, and I suspect Mr. Cullen will want to take you on that himself.

Margaret showed Bella the rest of the offices where the senior staff worked. The tour was very boring, and Bella wondered why Edward had forced her wander around when there was nothing of consequence out here to look at.

She realized belatedly that none of the employees were actually in their offices, and she wondered where everyone could be. It was not until Margaret dropped her back off at Edward's office did she realize he had probably called a meeting.

Most of the employees were standing around talking to each other, meaning the meeting had already happened, or was about to. She caught snippets of conversations as she walked toward Edward's desk.

"I hear he has a new assistant," one woman said to another, clearly acting as if she had the juiciest gossip known to man.

"I think I saw her a little while ago, brunette, nothing special."

Another person joined the conversation as Bella passed.

"I wonder if he's sleeping with this one too. I think he only hires them to take the edge off of his cold bitter existence."

Bella almost stopped short, shocked at the way they were speaking about Edward. Didn't they know him at all?

"Well, as long as this one is less obnoxious than that blonde, I don't care if he bends her over on my desk."

Bella all but ran away from the conversation as she approached Edward's desk. He was sitting, on his computer and looked deep in thought.

"Hi," she offered timidly, hoping she wasn't disturbing him.

"Ah, there you are. Good." He stood and called loudly for quiet. The people gathered complied immediately.

"Yes, good morning everyone. As many of you heard last night, the Radcliffe estate has collapsed. Apparently the will is being contested by Old Man Radcliffe's eldest son, and the complaint was filed after the will was executed, but before the contract was completed by us. This is sloppy on our part. We should have crossed all our t's and dotted all of our i's. We are going to need to put a lot of work into this to get out of it unscathed. There are going to be lawyers showing up tomorrow to speak with the people who were on that account. That means Newton and Crowley, I'm going to need to speak with you privately after lunch in order to make sure this runs smoothly. Do you understand?"

Two men in the front of the group nodded, and looked grim. The thought of having a private meeting with a seemingly annoyed Edward did not please them.

"This also means that all of our other estates need to be _double checked_. I won't have this happen again. It makes the company look bad when things bounce back like this. It's sloppy."

Bella glanced at Edward's face, and he looked livid. She didn't know this man.

"On a lighter note," He glanced at her and his face softened. "I would like to introduce you to my new assistant, Bella Swan. Please make her feel welcome, and treat her as you would treat me. That's all for this morning, so back to work."

The crowd dispersed quickly, a low grumble following them, and soon Bella and Edward were alone again. He sat back down at his desk with a huff.

"Bella, please take this file back to your office and start on it. You don't need to kill yourself over it, just start to familiarize yourself with it. You have a lunch at noon."

He turned away from her and opened a folder, emerging himself once more in his work. She grabbed the file from the corner of his desk and left the office quietly.

She walked down the hall to her own office and flopped down in her chair. This was going to be more work than she thought it would. She lowered her head to her hands and sighed.

* * *

It was almost noon, and Bella was hungry. She wondered if he would notice if she left early, but she didn't want to take her chances. He was very stern here.

She decided she would ask him if he wanted to come with her. He seemed so stressed out over this estate, she thought he might need some time away from the paperwork and phone calls.

Bella walked into Edward's office and found him with his elbows on the desk and his head in his hands. She cleared her throat.

"Edward, I'm going for lunch, would you like to join me?"

He looked up at her and smiled, but shook his head.

"I'm kind of swamped with this Radcliffe account blowing up. I don't think I should leave right now. I'll order something in."

Bella frowned before and idea came to her head. It's what she was here for after all.

Turning, she closed the door and spun the lock. She closed the single set of blinds in the office and turned back to him.

"Bella..." His voice was almost a warning, but it didn't quite manage the threat it was supposed to hold.

She ignored him and walked around his desk. He spun in his chair to face her.

"You said discretion. I think you need to enjoy a little discretion right now."

Bella was unsure where this sudden boldness had come from. Maybe it was seeing him as such a powerful man that was getting her very hot and bothered, but she didn't know. All she knew is that he looked stressed out, and she wanted to help him.

She placed her hands on his thighs, and leaned forward to kiss him softly on the mouth.

When she dropped to her knees in front of him, he didn't protest.

She unbuckled his belt and undid the button on his dress pants. She pulled his dress shirt free, unbuttoning the bottom of the shirt and pushing it open. She bunched up his undershirt to reveal is stomach, toned and smooth. Looking into his eyes, she leaned forward and began to press open mouthed kisses against his skin. He inhaled sharply through his nose and closed his eyes; an attempt to keep calm.

"Please relax," Bella whispered against his skin. He was _so_ tense, it almost worried her. Is this how he always is? It couldn't be good for him.

His body loosened a fraction and she dipped her tongue into his belly button. His body jerked.

Just below her head, pressed against her breasts, she could feel him begin to harden. She added her tongue to her kisses, dragging and tasting his skin as she worked her way closer to the waistband of his pants. She reached a hand up and lowered his zipper, and then tugged his pants open. She dragged her teeth down the line of auburn hair above the elastic of his boxer shorts. He jerked again.

"Bella," His voice was a whisper and when she looked up at him again, his face was calmer, more relaxed. His brow was still creased, and his teeth worrying his bottom lip.

She curled her fingers over the waistband of his pants and tugged down. His hands gripped the arm rests of his chair, so he could gain leverage to lift his hips. She slid them over his hips and down his legs until they pooled at his feet. He was harder now, the bulge prominent against his underwear. Her eyes flickered to his.

Before she could lean in, his hands came to her face, and he bowed his body to bring his face to hers. He kissed her softly, letting his tongue gently probe into her mouth before he pulled back.

He reached behind himself and tugged his suit jacket off the back of his chair. "Here, for your knees."

He reached out his hand to help her stand before he dropped his jacket in front of himself. He took her other hand and helped her kneel once more.

She ran her hands along his thighs as she looked at him. He was so handsome, and so gentle with her. Nothing like the man she had seen today. That man was forceful, powerful and somewhat ruthless, but he'd been that way because he had to be. He was a shrewd businessman who was successful – knew how to stay that way.

But Bella knew him underneath all of that. She may have only seen glimpses, never the whole man, but she knew he was kind and had a sense of humor. He was funny and passionate, tender and sincere. She wondered how often he got to show that side of himself to anyone.

She reached up again toward him, and he complied easily, leaning in to kiss her softly once more. He leaned back, running his finger across her cheek as she slipped her hand into his boxers and freed him.

He wasn't quite fully erect yet, but she wasted no time bringing him into her mouth. She sucked gently on the head for a moment before sliding her tongue from base to tip. His length was just above average, and more than she could take in her mouth right away. She was a bit out of practice and willed herself not to gag. She brought her hand to the base and gripped him firmly as she moved her head up and down.

She felt his hand come to her head, slipping his fingers into her hair pulling it away from her face.

She could feel him now, completely hard in her mouth and started to slide her tongue along the underside of him. She looked up and met his intense green eyes. His fingers tightened in her hair and she lowered her mouth over him, trying to take all of him into her mouth. She bobbed a few times, taking more of him each time. Finally, she lowered her head and took all of him into her throat.

He groaned above her, his hands opening and his palms pressing against her scalp. She brought her mouth back to the head, sucking and flicking her tongue underneath the ridge as she squeezed him at the base. His hips lifted and he groaned louder.

She locked eyes with him as she started to work him faster. His fingers clenched once more.

"Bella." He panted lifting his hips more urgently.

She lifted, sliding her tongue along the tip before she dropped down a final time. He swelled in her mouth and she felt him spill down her throat as he pulled and tugged on her hair. She swallowed quickly, moving her mouth over him gently, bringing him down.

His body went slack, his hands falling out of her hair and she gave him a final lick before she tucked him back into his boxers and hoisted herself up.

His head was thrown back over the top of his chair, his breath was short and his cheeks flushed. Bella stepped back between his legs and leaned over him.

Edward grabbed her face and kissed her. Hard. He stood suddenly, stumbling because his pants were still around his feet and Bella reached out to steady him. He groaned against her mouth, tugging the hair near her face.

"Jesus," he groaned when he finally pulled away. He looked in her eyes for a long moment before he stepped back to pull his pants back up. She moved back while he pulled himself together, and she felt her cheeks heating up.

In the moment she had felt like a goddess, but now she suddenly felt shy. She had just essentially attacked her boss, a very powerful man, in his office. Granted, that is what she was ...hired for, but she was fairly sure that he hadn't intended her to give him a blow job on her first day IN the office.

What if he was mad at her?

She began to bite her nails as she paced.

"Hey," Edward called, walking over to her and putting his arms around her. "Are you ok? What's the matter?"

She looked up at him, biting her lip, before darting her eyes away.

"Was... was that ok? I mean, I probably shouldn't have done that here..."

"Hey, hey." He kissed her quickly, silencing her fears. "It's fine. It was wonderful, thank you. Don't worry so much, that... that right there, what you just did. That was phenomenal. Phenomenal."

She took a breath and nodded, stepping out of his embrace.

"Um, I'm going to get lunch. Do you want me to bring you back something?"

He stepped in front of her again, bringing his finger to her chin. He held her there until she looked at him.

"Go and enjoy lunch, and then you can head back to the hotel. Just go home and," he smiled, "Please relax."

Bella laughed lightly and nodded. He kissed her again before she turned and headed to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open.

"I won't be late," he called as she stepped into the hall.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed and I will see you next time!

PS: I accidentally uploaded the wrong version of the story. Thanks for everyone who messaged me about the accidental BETA note :)


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